Leadership and Happiness With Arthur Brooks Spend eight virtual sessions and an optional retreat learning the science of happiness from Arthur Brooks, Vanderbilt professor, social scientist, and New York Times bestselling author.
Virtual Course
Virtual Course + In-Person Retreat
September 28 - November 30, 2026
December 7 - 9, 2026
Select Mondays, 10 to 11:30 a.m. CT
Boca Raton, Florida
$4,495
$9,895 (Accommodations and Meals Included)
20% corporate and Vanderbilt friends + family discounts available
vu.edu/arthur-brooks execed@vanderbilt.edu
Course Description Drawing on his interdisciplinary research on human flourishing, Dr. Arthur Brooks’ Leadership and Happiness course is designed for emerging and current leaders across for-profits, nonprofits, and government. Over eight weeks, students will read and learn the best managerial science, psychology, neuroscience, and ancient philosophy. They will engage in real-time sessions with Dr. Brooks, who will explain this literature for non-experts and show how it is essential knowledge for leaders—and how it can improve work and life for themselves and their employees.
Virtual Course
In-Person Retreat
Dates / Times
Dates / Times
10 - 11:30 a.m. CT
Monday, December 7 - Wednesday, December 9, 2026
Monday, September 28, 2026 Monday, October 5, 2026 Monday, October 19, 2026 Monday, October 26, 2026 Monday, November 2, 2026 Monday, November 9, 2026 Monday, November 16, 2026 Monday, November 30, 2026 Module Topics
Module 1: Introduction to Leadership & Happiness (what happiness is, what it isn’t, and how to pursue it well across work and life) Module 2: What is Unhappiness? (what unhappiness means, and why leaders are susceptible to it) Module 3: Romantic Love (how to understand and sustain long-term romantic love, no matter one’s busy professional life) Module 4: Family and Friends (why leaders tend to be lonely, and how to prioritize relationships outside of work) Module 5: Finding Life’s Meaning (how to grapple with life’s biggest questions) Module 6: Your Calling (how to pursue your professional calling—the idea that I am meant to do this job) Module 7: Transcendence (the best ways to transcend yourself, via faith, philosophy, or service to others) Module 8: Life’s Protocols (how leaders can tangibly use the science to start their day with energy, end their day with rest, prioritize their relationships, and forgo device addiction)
8:30 - 9:30 a.m., Breakfast 9:30 - 10 a.m., Open 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., Morning Session 12 - 1:30 p.m., Lunch 1:30 - 3:30 p.m., Afternoon Session 3:30 p.m., End of Day Location The Boca Raton in Boca Raton, Florida Topics Day 1: The Science of Emotions (4 hours of instruction) Day 2: Worldly Idols (4 hours of instruction) Day 3: The Next 80 Years (4 hours of instruction) Additional Optional Events Welcome reception and dinner with Arthur Brooks: Sunday, December 6 Group dinner: Tuesday, December 8 Workshop sessions hosted by Arthur Brooks' team: Monday, December 7 and Tuesday, December 8 Included in Program Fee Room and board Breakfast and lunch on class days Additional optional events
About Arthur Brooks Arthur Brooks is one of the world’s leading experts on the science of human happiness, appearing in the media and traveling the world to teach people in private companies, universities, public agencies, and faith communities how they can live happier lives and bring greater well-being to others. Brooks is a professor at Vanderbilt University and a senior fellow at the Harvard Business School. He is a CBS News contributor, columnist with The Free Press, and host of the weekly podcast "Office Hours with Arthur Brooks." He is the author of 16 books, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness, Build the Life You Want (co-authored with Oprah Winfrey), and From Strength to Strength.
vu.edu/arthur-brooks execed@vanderbilt.edu